Sri Krishna Pharmaceuticals Limited, known informally as Sri Krishna Pharma, is an established manufacturer of pharmaceutical products such as acetaminophen (paracetamol), folic acid, domperidone and furosemide, supplying more than 150 niche drugs to the Asian pharmaceutical market, as well as Europe and the USA.

Established in 1974, Sri Krishna Pharma has five fully equipped GMP manufacturing facilities in India, meeting several regulatory certifications including USFDA, EDQM, COFEPRIS, ANVISA, GHA, AIFA, ANSM. The organisation is also the only company in the world to have a USFDA certified facility for the manufacturing of folic acid. When expanding production at one of their facilities, the company sought a high-quality sieving solution. Having previously supplied the company with high performance vibro separator, Sri Krishna Pharma approached Russell Finex for a solution.

Production at the Uppal factory was being upscaled to include the manufacture of paracetamol. Paracetamol is a medication widely used to treat moderate aches, pains and fevers. During its manufacture, a homogeneous product is made by blending various pharmaceutical powders to provide the perfect uniform mixture. The product must then be screened before it is packaged, to ensure foreign or oversize contamination is removed.

Mr A Bhaskar Reddy, Assistant General Manager of Purchasing and Stores at Sri Krishna Pharma said, "We are very conscientious when it comes to product quality at all stages of manufacture. Therefore, we required sieving equipment capable of achieving exceptional quality standards, as well as high production rates. Russell Finex was very helpful in acknowledging our requirements and identifying a suitable solution."

With more than 80 years' experience supplying pharmaceutical solutions to global customers including Pfizer, GSK, Wyeth and Sanofi-Aventis, Russell Finex analysed Sri Krishna Pharma's unique requirements and supplied three 900 mm diameter Russell Compact Sieves with vibrasonic deblinding systems. The Russell Compact Sieve is a high capacity sieving machine, capable of achieving higher throughput rates compared to conventional machines. The enclosed system is ideal for the pharmaceutical industry as it provides total containment, protecting operators from any harmful dusts or fumes. High-quality stainless-steel contact parts enable easy cleaning, and the unit can be easily dismantled and assembled without the need for tools.

Due to the nature of API's, mesh blinding can often be experienced when screening these pharmaceutical powders. Fitting the Russell Compact Sieve with the vibrasonic deblinding system ensures these powders can be screened on finer meshes without compromising flow rates. This powerful mesh deblinding system applies an ultrasonic frequency to the mesh, breaking the surface tension to prevent the fine particles from blinding or blocking the mesh screen. This not only results in consistent product quality and increased production rates, but also prevents the loss of good product and damage to the mesh, and further reduces downtime to clean the mesh.

Mr Reddy comments, "The installation of the Russell machines have not only made full sanitation easy to achieve, but also protects the health and safety of our operators. These units have proved to be the ideal solution, helping us to meet production demand whilst improving hygiene." Mr Reddy continues, "We look forward to continuing this relationship as we further develop our business."